#28 Holland & Barrett CEO: Social Media Self-Diagnosis Reshaping Health Retail
About this episode
Anthony Houghton discusses how social media and self-diagnosis are transforming the health retail landscape.
Anthony Houghton, Chief Executive of Holland & Barrett, joins the Big Boss Interview as social media and online self-diagnosis reshape how consumers approach health and wellness. He describes a retail landscape where customers increasingly arrive in store — or online — having already decided what they need based on influencer content or digital health advice, not all of which is accurate or appropriate to their individual circumstances. In a £110 billion global health and wellness industry, the challenge for established retailers is navigating the gap between what customers believe products do and what they are legally permitted to claim. Holland & Barrett’s response has been a major internal reset. Three years ago, the company invested in a dedicated science team to review its entire range. Of approximately 4,500 core products, 2,700 have since been reformulated or upgraded. More than 1,000 own-brand products have been completely overhauled in the past 18 months alone. Labelling presents particular complexity. Products marketed for perimenopause, for example, may feature the term prominently on packaging to help customers find relevant items. Yet detailed ingredient…
People in this episode
Host: BBC News
Guest: Anthony Houghton
Topics covered
- health retail
- social media
- self-diagnosis
- consumer behavior
- product reformulation
- advertising regulations
Keywords
- Holland & Barrett
- health and wellness
- consumer approach
- influencer content
- product claims
- retail challenges
- advertising standards
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Holland & Barrett, Advertising Standards Authority
Places: UK
More episodes of Big Boss Interview
- #37 Standard Life CEO: British Aren't Sufficiently Financially Literate
- #35 Pret CEO: Inflation From War Starting to Bite
- #34 Autotrader CEO: Chinese Car Growth is "Mind-boggling"
- #33 Octopus CEO: Energy Bills Likely to Rise From July
- #32 BlackRock CEO: Global Recession Looms if Iran War Continues
- #31 Mountain Warehouse CEO: Middle East Conflict Impacts UK Retail
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Big Boss Interview podcast page.